How Korean Drama ‘Lovely Runner’ showcased Love in All Forms

This article contains heavy spoilers. Read with caution.

Love is in everything we do, it’s in how we tell our friends to take care after we hang out, it’s in how we prepare meals for our family, it’s in how we watch and consume the media we enjoy. Love is especially present in the hit Korean drama “Lovely Runner” starring Kim Hyeyoon and Byeon Wooseok, where love transcends all and becomes the catalyst to the happy ending it has. The series follows the story of Im Sol (Hyeyoon) being the biggest fan of idol Ryu Sunjae (Wooseok). Sol was once an aspiring film director whose dreams were crushed when she got into an accident that paralyzed her, yet Sunjae was able to give her hope to keep going in life. Sol becomes devastated when Sunjae commits suicide, which is where the story picks up in a timeslip.

Lovely Runner wasn’t a hit global sensation for nothing, it has the formula of a perfect Korean drama, which goes to show the reason why it’s loved by people all over the globe. The plot, the characters, the storyline, everything was done and curated with love and care so that it was able to reach the audiences with ease. Below are the different forms of love present in the story:

How fan Sol loved idol Sunjae

This might come across as silly to some, but the love between an idol and a fan could be genuine given the right people in the situation, and that’s the case for idol Sunjae and fan Sol in this first timeline. The unconditional love and support Sol gives to Sunjae is immense, even though there haven’t been many chances for them to meet, Sol is able to go on supporting him with all her heart. She cares for him, cries for him, defends him when needed, and wants the best for him in every way she can.

How Sunjae loved Sol first

After idol Sunjae takes his own life, Sol is devastated; while clutching Sunjae’s watch that she bought from an auction, she unknowingly travels back in time to 2008, realizing how intertwined and close her life was with Sunjae’s. This is where we find out the biggest plot twist of the show that got audiences hooked with it: Sunjae has had a crush on Sol since they were in high school after seeing her in the rain, and to this day where Sol is Sunjae’s fan, he still likes her. We find out all the things Sunjae did for Sol in the past which goes to show how much he loved her, even though Sol from the past never really knew him.

How Sol loved her family

Going back in the past gave Sol a chance to do right by her family; treating her grandmother (who has dementia in the present time) with more care, doing what’s best for her older brother (who is unhappy in the present time), and being much kinder and more understandable towards her mother (who spent all her life taking care of paralyzed Sol in the present time). Sol already loved her family tenfold in the present time, but this was shown in more detail when she went back to the past.

How Sol was loved by her friends

What’s a Korean drama without the support system of the female lead? Best friend Hyunju and second male lead slash good friend Taesung was always there for Sol whenever she needed it. Hyunju diligently took care of Sol when she got into her accident, always taking her places and making sure she’s alright. Taesung, on the other hand, loved Sol unconditionally without asking for anything back. Even though he knew Sol would never love him back the way he wanted, he never kept his distance and provided the best he could to make Sol feel better when she was down.

How Sol eventually fell for Sunjae

It’s a given that Sol already loves Sunjae; he gave her a reason to live, after all. What we eventually see as the story progresses was Sol finally loving Sunjae back the way he loved her. Sunjae, in all his little ways, was able to show Sol how he loved her, and this was enough for Sol to love him back the same way. It took years of misunderstandings and miscommunications, but in the end, they were able to find each other through every timeline, hence the happy ending they were able to have together.

Love is the force that ruled Lovely Runner and the reason why it even exists in the first place. Through these different forms of love, the viewers were able to fully immerse themselves into the show and experience the love through these characters. It’s rare for a series to be deemed close to “perfect” and be loved the way it is, but with Lovely Runner, it’s no wonder why.